1/24 Ferrari 330 P4 Options?

I know there are a number of kit and detail upgrades for this famous car. Some are excellent, some well.... Some are priced modestly, others are ridiculously expensive.

So lets hear it, the good, the bad, and ugly guys. I want to do a full detail attempt on this car and hope I can learn from the experience of others. Literature sources would be very helpful too!

I almost purchased the Historic Racing Minatures engine and suspension kit. It's definitely a must-have for this kit, but I can't speak to its quality.

Certainly this thread is a good complement to the 917k thread.

The HRM engine is stunning, but the price is a bit high.

Anyone knows the Heller/Union kit? I asume the quality of this ancient reproduction is average, like the 917, but is an alternative to Fujimi/HRM duo.

All the kits are in my DB, take your pick:

http://www.italianhorses.net/DB/intro.htm

I bought the HRM engine kit a few months ago. Haven't had a chance to put it together but all the parts look top notch. Great detail and very cleanly cast. Includes extra bits for the engine bay as well. The Heller kit is much like their 917, quite good detail for a nearly 40 year old kit. Body proportions are very close between the two. Only real bad parts of the Heller are the tires and decals.

Mike

I bougth a Union version (same as Heller?) a while ago on ebay. It is not hard to find on ebay but often has a high starting bid. The kit comes with a engine but has limited and incorrect details. I have to say that I'm quite disappointed and I would not recommend this old kit to anyone. The money will probably be better spent on a Fujimi kit. A HRM engine kit will certainly be a bonus.

The best one is MFH 330p4 but very $$$$350+. Most of the parts are white metal.
Fujimi + HRM + PE cost~$120 to $160 and you'll have all the fun.
Heller/union kit is great if you don't care about the engine detail. The engine,rear suspensions are just simple and incorrect.

I think HRM kit is worth the $ but it is still missing some parts on rear cowl engine baffle. Oversize fuel distributor. Rear brake disks are lack of detail. When you get the HRM kit, check the valve covers. Make sure they are L/R. I got 2 L one but HRM replaced for free.

Anyone have closeup pictures on the firewall? Need some detail shot.

The best one is MFH 330p4 but very $$$$350+. Most of the parts are white metal.
Fujimi + HRM + PE cost~$120 to $160 and you'll have all the fun.
Heller/union kit is great if you don't care about the engine detail. The engine,rear suspensions are just simple and incorrect.

I think HRM kit is worth the $ but it is still missing some parts on rear cowl engine baffle. Oversize fuel distributor. Rear brake disks are lack of detail. When you get the HRM kit, check the valve covers. Make sure they are L/R. I got 2 L one but HRM replaced for free.

Anyone have closeup pictures on the firewall? Need some detail shot.
I guess thats the bottom line isn't it. There are really only two ways to go high detail: plastic/resin or white metal/photoetch for about three times the price.

I recently got access to both the Fujimi/HRM combo and the Hiro kit. I confirmed what I suspected for some time now. The Hiro is a crude copy of the Fujimi (with a lot of added detail thats done pretty well) and the HRM is a copy of much of the new Hiro work! On the negative side you might say our manufacturers are getting inbred. On the positive side I guess you could celebrate in the fact all the parts are almost completely interchangeable! For example look closely at the radiator of the two kits. You can clearly see ejector pin marks on the spin cast metal hiro part. There are telltales everywhere you look....

http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp280/cratecruncher/Miscellaneous/swbfrt004.jpg
http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp280/cratecruncher/Miscellaneous/swbfrt005-1.jpg
http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp280/cratecruncher/Miscellaneous/swbfrt006-1.jpg

My conclusion would be that if you really want to do a nice P4, buy the Fujimi kit, the HRM engine and the Studio 27 photoetch fret. Then copy Hiro's instruction manual off the internet so you know how to put it together. The Hiro body is such a lump that their P4 would be easier to build by substituting the Fujimi body.